


Still know your heart and still know both your eyes

by avengerskye



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Alaric is not there because no, Caroline is the school's headmistress, Costume Parties & Masquerades, F/F, Hope never went to the Salvatore school, full tribrid!Hope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:08:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27328552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avengerskye/pseuds/avengerskye
Summary: Caroline and her daughters are on a mission on Halloween night. They need to find Hope Mikaelson and convince her to come back to the Salvatore Boarding School with them.Is it really Josie's fault if she gets distracted by a pretty girl with piercing blue eyes?
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 42
Kudos: 331





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!
> 
> Guess who wrote a Halloween fic and didn't finish it on time? It's me, it's totally me.

Halloween always gave the brunette teen chills, and not for good reasons. She doesn't understand why people would go out of their way to scare others, or to get scared. The whole concept doesn't make sense to her, and usually she would just lock herself in her room while her sister's out at some party, but not this year. This year, they're on a mission. 

The October air is cold, and the teenager is glad she chose to wear a light jacket over her dress. That doesn't stop her toes from freezing though, and she just really wishes they could walk inside now. She lets her eyes wander to the mansion the party is held in. The decorations reflect the time of the year they're in, but in a very fancy way. It almost looks like a haunted manor. The lights inside the mansion are all sorts of colors : green, red, purple… She can see them from the windows, and it makes her wonder what's waiting for them inside.

"Josie? Are you even listening?!" The girl next to her asks, visibly angry.

"Sorry." The brunette blurts out.

The woman accompanying the two teens smiles as she places a gentle hand on Josie's shoulder.

"This is important, Josie." The blonde woman turns her attention to the other girl. "Lizzie, go inside and start blending in. I'll make sure Josie knows what to look for."

The blonde teen rolls her eyes. "Sure."

Josie's eyes don't leave the blonde teen as she disappears into the mansion. The tall doors close behind her, and the woman gently squeezes Josie's shoulder to get her attention again. 

"Your sister will be fine, sweetie." 

Josie nods. "I know, mom."

"Now, tell me why you're so distracted. You know how important this mission is."

The brunette crosses her arms, suddenly feeling defensive. She gives her mother a look before her eyes flicker back to the mansion. The lights in one of the rooms changed color, and for some reason it makes a shiver run through Josie's whole body.

"I hate this. Can't we come and find her at another time? Why does it have to be on Halloween?"

The woman's laugh fills the air, and Josie can't help but glare at her mother. 

"Stop it! You know I don't like Halloween,  _ Caroline _ ."

Josie uses her mother's name knowing full well it would piss her mother off. It gets the effect she wanted because the woman stops laughing immediately and gives the brunette a look that could kill.

"I'm your mother, young lady, so don't you dare call me by my name."

Josie chuckles and shakes her head. "Sure, mom."

Caroline's smile is back. "Good. Do you need me to go over the mission with you?" 

Josie bites her lip as she tries to think back to what she heard earlier, but it's all a little foggy. She gives her mother a sheepish look and nods, letting her know she has no idea what they're looking for.

"Okay, so the girl we're looking for is named Hope Mikaelson. She's the daughter of Klaus Mikaelson, and Hayley Marshall. It makes her the first Tribrid in existence. She's been a witch since her birth, activated her wolf curse at 15, and died at 18, activating her vampire gene in the process. Since her parents died, she's been out of control. Klaus was… an old friend of mine. I think I owe it to him to make sure his daughter is safe, and knows how to control herself. We're here to help her, Josie, okay?"

"Yeah." Josie says with a nod. "We don't have any information about her appearance, right?"

Caroline sighs. "Not really, the Mikaelsons have been really secretive about her."

"So, it could literally be any girl in there."

"Yes. So, you need to blend in and subtly ask around. Hope Mikaelson is in there, and we need to find her. It might be our only chance, because the second she learns we're looking for her, she'll disappear. Or worse… she could become dangerous."

"Got it." Josie says.

"I'll let you know during the night if I get any information. You do the same, and Lizzie will too." Caroline leans down and leaves a soft kiss on Josie's forehead. "Be careful."

"I will. I love you, mom."

"I love you too."

With that being said, Josie finally makes her way to the doors of the mansion as she places her mask over her eyes. When she's standing right in front of them, they seem even bigger than when she was watching them from afar. They're made of carefully sculpted wood, and the brunette can't stop herself from touching them. She lets her fingers touch the surface of the wood for a couple of seconds, and just as she's about to knock, the door opens. A tall man looks down at her with suspicious eyes, so she quickly blurts out the password. He doesn't seem convinced, but since she said the right words, he lets her in.

Once she's inside, the man leads her to what he calls "the ballroom". He doesn't talk much, and if the teenager is honest with herself, he gives off really creepy vibes. As soon as they enter the ballroom, Josie's relieved to see that it just looks like a totally normal party. Except that it's a masquerade ball, so everyone has a mask on. Nothing to help them find Hope Mikaelson. 

The man quickly leaves her there taking her jacket with him, but Josie keeps her purse with her. She walks further inside the room as soon as he's gone. Josie does just as she was told, she blends in. She goes around the room, makes small chat with the guests surrounding her. It doesn't take her long to notice that the guests are mostly a mix of humans and vampires. She met a handful of witches, but she's almost sure there's no werewolf here. She wonders if it was done on purpose, and why are there so many humans around. 

After an hour or so, Josie understands that she'll learn nothing about the Mikaelsons here. The guests are clearly unwilling to help, or already very drunk. She walks out of the room, looking everywhere in the process to make sure no one is paying attention to her. The brunette finds herself in a hallway, and when she sees the man from earlier walking around, she quickly hides behind a curtain. She's suddenly very grateful that the mansion has windows so big that the curtains go all the way to the floor. When she doesn't hear any footsteps anymore, she quickly takes a look around the hallway. When she's sure it's empty, she gets out of her hiding spot. She looks in the direction she was going before, noticing she either has to go upstairs, or in a room on the right side of the hallway. As she hesitates, Josie bites her lip.

"Were you not having fun in the ballroom?" A soft feminine voice calls out behind Josie.

The brunette quickly turns around, and the sight that awaits her takes her breath away. A small girl that has to be around Josie's age is standing there, smirking at her. Half of the girl's face is hidden behind a black mask, but Josie can tell she might be the most beautiful girl she's ever seen. The back and red dress she's wearing compliments her auburn hair perfectly. However, what makes Josie's knees go weak are the piercing blue eyes staring right into her brown ones. 

The girl takes two steps closer to Josie, her smirk still firmly in place.

"Has the cat got your tongue, love?"

"I… No, I'm sorry. I'm Josie." The brunette extends her hand and offers it to the girl.

The auburn haired girl looks down at the offered hand, and the smirk disappears from her face. She takes it slowly, and it only feels like their hands brush together before she takes it back. The brush is enough to make Josie aware of the fact that the girl in front of her is a supernatural being. Magic is flowing through those veins… powerful magic. 

"And you are…" Josie says when the girl doesn't provide her name.

Just like that, the girl's face lightens up and her smirk is back.

"Oh darling, it would kill the magic if I told you my name." The girl steps closer, but she makes sure to never touch the brunette. "It's a masquerade ball, the whole point is that no one knows who we are here."

Josie decides to play along. "I gave you mine though, so it would only be fair for you to tell me yours."

The girl looks at Josie for a couple of seconds. The look is so intense that the brunette feels like she's being studied, or like the shorter girl is looking for something. Josie looks away from the girl's intense gaze, deciding to look down at her feet. Her eyes only go back up when the girl speaks again.

"I'll make a deal with you. Spend the night with me, and I'll tell you my name when the party's over."

Josie knows she shouldn't. She's on a mission, and her mother and sister would be pissed if they knew she's getting distracted by some pretty girl. But there's something about this girl that makes her want to know more. Maybe she'll even know something about Hope Mikaelson.

"Is that a promise?" The brunette finds herself saying.

The girl's smirk turns into what seems to be a genuine smile. 

"You have my word."

"Then, we have a deal."

"Good. Follow me." The girl says before she turns around in the direction of the ballroom.

Josie does as she's told. She's a little surprised when instead of going straight back to the ballroom, they take another hallway. They walk down that hallway, and at the end of it, the auburn haired girl opens a door that leads them outside. They silently walk side by side in a beautiful garden. The flowers and plants around them catch Josie's attention, and she almost forgets she's in the company of a beautiful girl.

"Do you like flowers, love?" The other teen asks.

The brunette quickly looks at the shorter girl, a blush covering her cheeks. She's been ignoring the auburn haired girl for a couple of minutes now.

"I really love them actually."

The girl hums. "I could tell, your eyes got a spark in them as soon as we walked out."

"I just love that they have a meaning, and that they smell good, and like, the colors, you know?" 

Josie's excited rambling puts a soft smile on the girl's face. The brunette sees it and tries to smile back, but when the girl notices that she's smiling she quickly stops and clears her throat. Josie frowns at her companion's obvious change of demeanor. This girl confuses her, and she can't really figure out why. 

"Come on, I wanna show you something."

The girl doesn't wait for Josie before walking away quickly. The brunette watches her go for a couple of seconds, and she only starts to follow when the girl looks over her shoulder. The smile from earlier is now a smirk, and there's mischief dancing in her eyes. There's a voice in Josie's head that's screaming at her to go back inside, but her body seems to have a whole other idea, because before she knows it she's following the girl.

They walk for a little less than a minute before they reach their destination. Josie's eyes go wide when she sees the gazebo in the middle of the garden. The gazebo is lit up by little orange lights, and there's Halloween decorations scattered around. 

The girl walks until she's standing in the middle of the gazebo. Josie walks there too, only stopping when she's standing a step or two away from the girl. The girl moves her hand and whispers something, and suddenly there's faint music coming out of seemingly nowhere. 

"I thought we could use some intimacy." The girl says, her voice suddenly lower than before. "What do you think, love? May I have this dance?"

Josie's a little surprised when the girl offers her her hand. She thinks of the reaction the girl had earlier when their hands touched. She had looked cautious. So, Josie places her hand in the other girl's offered one gently and slowly, she wouldn't want to scare her off. Then, Josie places her other hand on the girl's waist, while the shorter one places her hand on her shoulder. They start to gently sway to the rhythm of the music.

"Are you gonna tell me your name now?" Josie softly asks.

The girl shakes her head with a playful smile.

"The night isn't over yet. I think it's my turn to ask a question. What are you doing here tonight, Josie?"

It's the first time the girl uses her name, and Josie can feel her heartbeat going crazy. 

"I'm just… here to have a good time." Josie takes a deep breath, and quickly speaks again. "It's my turn again. Do you know Hope Mikaelson?"

The girl's smirk reappears, and there's a subtle change in her eyes. Those blue eyes are full of something Josie has a hard time to explain, but for some reason, she feels like a prey being observed by its predator.

"Do I know Hope Mikaelson? That's a good question. I guess I do, in some way. Why are you asking?"

"Well… She's the one hosting this ball, and I've heard her name in the ballroom, but it seems like no one knows where she is tonight. I was just curious." 

"Maybe she doesn't wanna be seen tonight." The girl says, her eyes holding some kind of sadness all of a sudden. "Like I said earlier, this is a masquerade ball. The whole point of it is that no one knows who we are. It's a different kind of magic, love."

Josie frowns as she wonders why this girl wants to keep her identity a secret so bad. 

"I, uh…" Josie clears her throat. "I think it's your turn to ask a question."

"How old are you?"

"I'm seventeen." Josie answers easily. "Is that your natural hair color?"

The girl giggles. "It is. Why are you asking?"

"It looks so pretty on you. Actually, I think you might be the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

The girl's smile is playful again. "Charmer."

Josie shrugs. "Your turn."

The girl's question comes immediately. "Are you some kind of supernatural?"

When Josie's eyes go comically wide, the girl's laugh fills the air. 

"Don't look so surprised." Hope cocks her head to the side, studying Josie one more time. "Who invited you to this party, Josie? Because I have a feeling it wasn't Hope."

"I came with a friend." The brunette quickly lies. "I'm a witch."

The girl frowns. "A witch? Really?" Josie nods. "Prove it."

The Saltzman girl is taken aback by the girl's request. She takes two steps back, making sure they're not touching anymore. The girl's face hardens, and Josie suddenly feels a little uncomfortable. 

"Are you lying to me, Josie?" 

"I'm not!" Josie says, her tone of voice a little angrier than before. "Why are you being so weird suddenly?"

The girl shakes her head. "This was a mistake. You should go back to the party."

She walks out of the gazebo, but quickly stops and turns back to look at Josie. When their eyes meet, Josie sees something she doesn't expect. There's worry in the girl's blue eyes.

"Actually… Just go home, Josie. It would be best for you."

"Wait!" The brunette quickly catches up with the other girl. "You were supposed to give me your name."

The girl gives her a sad smile. "The thing is… we didn't complete the deal, darling."

"But-" Josie's interrupted by the sound of two notifications on her phone. "Give me a second."

**From : Mom**

_ I got some info. Hope is short and has auburn hair. _

**From : Lizzie**

_ Hope is wearing a black and red dress tonight! _

It takes a couple of seconds before Josie understands that her mom and sister basically just described the girl she's been with for the past hour. She places her phone back into her little purse and looks back at the auburn haired girl. With that comes another realisation, she can't let Hope leave. 

"Is something wrong, love?"

"Stay with me." Josie quickly says. "I'll prove to you that I'm a witch."

Hope lifts a brow, and Josie can barely see it because of her mask. 

"Give me your hands." The brunette commands. 

The Mikaelson girl looks as cautious as the first time their hands touched when she does offer her hands to Josie. The brunette slowly places her hands in Hope's. Josie gives them a little squeeze, and takes a deep breath before she starts siphoning. Their joined hands glow red, and Josie feels a very powerful magic invading her. It takes her a couple of seconds to feel like she's had enough, and when she does Josie roughly takes her hands back.

Hope's eyes are wide with surprise.

"What did you just do?"

"I siphoned your magic." Josie says after a moment of hesitation. 

"Interesting…" 

An alarm goes off, startling Josie. Hope takes her phone out, and a frown quickly takes over her beautiful face. She looks up at Josie, and the Saltzman girl can tell Hope is hesitating about something. 

"You need to leave, and take your friend with you." Hope turns around and walks back to the mansion.

"What? No, I want-"

In the blink of an eye, Hope is standing right in front of Josie again. 

"This is not a party, Josie! This is a feast! This alarm is going off to tell me it's time to let everyone know they can attack!"

"W-what?"

"The human and witch guests are here to be fed on." Hope explains. "I brought you out here tonight because I wanted to feed on  _ you _ ."

Fear invades Josie when she hears Hope's words. She understands now that the girl she's been with all night only wanted one thing, to drink her blood. She takes a step back, putting some distance between herself and Hope.

"You don't have to do this. Hope, I know-"

"Wait. How do you know I'm Hope?"

Josie stops everything. She stops talking, stops moving, and even stops breathing for a second or two. It's clear to see she messed up because Hope looks pissed. 

"Why are you looking for me? Who the fuck are you?!"

Josie holds her hands up, trying to show Hope she means her no harm. 

"Calm down, I promise I don't wanna hurt you."

Hope's laugh is cold, loud and cutting. She sends a mean glare in Josie's way.

"I'd like to see you try." Hope takes a threatening step closer. "Now, answer my questions."

"My name is Josie Saltzman, my parents run the Salvatore school. My mom's name is Caroline Forbes, she says she was your father's friend."

Hope's face betrays her, and Josie can tell the Tribrid is affected by her words. She also remembers how Hope seems to be affected by touch. So, she quickly places both hands on Hope's neck, gently forcing the auburn haired girl to look at her. Then, she very slowly takes the black mask off of Hope's face.

"We want to help you. I know losing your parents must have been hard, but you don't have to live like this." Josie softly says, her eyes looking right into Hope's. "We can show you another way of life, and help you be the person your parents would have wanted you to be."

Hope's face hardens again. "How would you know what my parents would have wanted?"

"I'm sure they wanted what's best for you."

Hope looks down for a long moment after that, but when she looks up, there's dark veins around them. She grips Josie's dress and pushes her until her back hits one of the gazebo's pillars, trapping her there. Hope roughly takes Josie's mask off to reveal her face. The brunette knows she should probably defend herself now. Use one of the defensive spells she learned at school. But for some reason, she doesn't move.

"I should kill you." Hope growls.

"You're not a killer, Hope. I think you're overwhelmed by pain and grief, so you decided to try and not feel anything. Right now, you're mad because you've been feeling things tonight and it scares you."

Hope's grip gets tighter. "Shut. Up."

"Happiness is not always followed by pain."

Before Hope can open her mouth to say something back, Josie quickly leans in and presses her lips to hers. She immediately feels Hope stiffen, like the touch of their lips froze her into place. Josie decides to not move her lips, and the touch only lasts for a handful of seconds. When she breaks the contact and moves back, she's surprised to see Hope with her eyes closed, still unmoving. 

"Listen to me." Josie softly says. "I'm gonna leave with my mom and my sister. We are staying at a motel down the road, I don't remember the name, but it's painted yellow and-"

"I know which one you're talking about." Hope cuts her off, her tone way gentler than before.

Josie gives her a little smile. "Good. If you want to come to the school, meet us there tomorrow morning. But, the 'feast' can't happen if you decide to take our offer, do you understand me?"

Hope nods, and she moves back letting go of Josie's dress. The brunette smoothes the wrinkles the Mikaelson girl created by gripping it, and offers a soft smile to Hope. She puts her mask on, and walks back towards the mansion. Before walking inside, the brunette looks over her shoulder.

"I really hope to see you tomorrow morning."

With that being said, Josie turns her head again and walks inside, leaving behind a very confused Hope.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> I have nothing to say, except enjoy!

Josie's been standing in front of the door for the past minute or so. When she left her room, she thought she'd gathered enough courage to knock on the door, but as soon as it came into view, she felt like running away. She managed to get to the door though, but knocking on it is another story. 

She knows Hope is on the other side of this door. The Mikaelson girl is probably still getting settled in since they only got to the school the day before. She keeps telling herself she's just here to make sure Hope's okay, and that she feels comfortable in her new room. But then, another minute passes, and Josie sighs in defeat. She really can't do this.

Just as she turns around to leave, the door opens, making her look back at the door she'd been staring at a second ago. Hope is holding the door open, and she looks at Josie with that smirk the brunette has seen a lot of on the night of the masquerade. 

"I was waiting for you to knock, love." 

The Saltzman girl rolls her eyes. "Stop calling me that. You know my name."

Hope chuckles. "As you wish, Josie."

The way her name rolls out of Hope's mouth is enough to make goosebumps appear on Josie's arms. Maybe it was not her best idea. The fact Hope is looking at her like she just knows the effect she has on her is making Josie's blood boil.

"Do you wanna come in?" The auburn haired girl asks before Josie can say anything. "I promise I won't bite. Well… Unless you're into that, of course."

Josie crosses her arms, unwilling to play Hope's game. The brunette knows that the Mikaelson girl hides behind a fake wall of confidence to protect her feelings. Josie has seen behind the wall though, and that's the Hope she wants to know.

"Stop flirting with me." Josie says quickly. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

The Saltzman girl's eyes don't miss the way Hope's fingers tighten around the wood of the door, or even how her jaw clenches. 

"I'm perfectly fine. You can leave now."

Without waiting for an answer, Hope starts closing the door, but before she has the chance to completely close it, Josie pushes it open. Hope's eyes snap up to meet Josie's, and the brunette swallows the lump in her throat. The Mikaelson girl's walls are back up, and the look she gives Josie is cold. 

"Let me in." Josie softly says. "Please."

It takes a couple of seconds before Hope has any reaction. Josie can see that her grip on the door is so tight her knuckles have turned white, but she also sees that Hope's eyes have softened. The Mikaelson girl says nothing as she gives in and opens the door to let Josie in. The brunette walks in, careful not to touch Hope in the process, because touching Hope has consequences. Sometimes the consequences are good, and other times they're bad. As she looks around the room, Josie notices that Hope barely made herself at home. There's no signs someone is gonna live here permanently. The auburn haired girl's suitcase is open on the floor, and her jacket is hanging on a chair, but that's it. 

"You don't have to check up on me." Hope says.

Josie turns around to face the Mikaelson girl again. Hope is looking at her with fire in her eyes, full of defiance. Josie opens her mouth to speak, but Hope holds her hand up to stop her.

"I'm not some wounded puppy you rescued, Josie."

"I know that!" Josie quickly defends herself. "Can you blame me for caring?"

Hope rolls her eyes. "You don't even know me."

"But I want to." Josie says as she takes two steps closer to Hope.

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into."

Josie takes another step, and the space is almost gone between them. The brunette takes a deep breath, pondering her next move. She lifts her hand, intending to place some of Hope's hair behind her ear to clear the view of her face, but the auburn haired girl quickly catches her wrist, stopping the movement. Josie's eyes go to her trapped wrist before going back to Hope's face. The normally blue eyes are now sparkling gold, and before Josie can react her back hits the wall. The Saltzman girl tries to swallow her fear, but then Hope's eyes turn back blue, and her signature smirk appears on her lips.

"Oh, Josie." Hope chuckles darkly. "You're so… innocent. It makes you reckless. Do you realise I could kill you if I wanted to? I know so many different ways to do it. I could even make it…" She pauses, looking down at the brunette's neck. "Pleasant."

"You're not gonna kill me."

Hope chuckles again. "Why is that?"

"Because if you wanted to kill me, you would have done it already."

Josie stops breathing for a second or two when Hope's hand goes around her neck. The Mikaelson girl's hand doesn't tighten, it's just resting there, but it has the effect Hope wants it to have. Josie's lips are slightly parted, and her eyes are dark. The brunette helplessly watches as Hope looks at her like she just won some twisted game. It makes Josie angry, and she wishes she could just make that damn smirk disappear.

In a rare moment of boldness, Josie surges forward and claims Hope's lips, much like she did the night of the masquerade. And just like that night, Hope freezes. The tables turn and Josie feels like she's the one winning. She slightly pulls away after a handful of seconds, but makes sure their lips are still brushing.

"I'm starting to think you're all bark and no bite, Hope." As Josie moves back, she notices how Hope's jaw clenches, and how her face gets angrier than before. "I'm sure there's more to you than empty threats and bad flirting."

In a split second, Hope's hand slips from Josie's neck and she chuckles as she walks away from the brunette. Josie thinks for a moment she won, and broke a tiny piece of Hope's walls, but she's soon proved wrong. The Mikaelson girl turns around and Josie immediately sees that the chuckle is accompanied by Hope's signature smirk. 

"You're not gonna get what you want, Josie. Just give up on this."

"Why? You're here, and that's because-"

Hope's laugh is loud and sardonic, cutting off Josie's sentence. The brunette is left with her mouth open, slightly in shock.

"Because of you? You-" Hope's laughter keeps her from talking. "You really think I'm here because of you? I'm here because of my father, Josie." Hope's face turns serious, and she crosses her arms. "You said he was a friend of your mom's. I wanna know more."

Josie's curiosity gets the best of her, and before she can stop herself words are spilling out of her mouth.

"What do you wanna know?"

The auburn haired girl rolls her eyes. "None of your business. Now, get out of my room before I throw you out."

Josie sighs, there's no way she'll win this battle tonight. She turns around and heads for the door, but just as she opens it, Hope talks again.

"It's a shame, you know? I thought you'd be more fun."

Josie looks at Hope over her shoulder, and she immediately knows what the auburn haired girl is trying to do. Hope wants to make her mad, she wants to make her react, to get a rise out of her. Josie's not gonna play that game now. So, instead of replying, she simply walks out of the room, closing the door behind herself. 

* * *

The next few weeks are filled with frustration for Josie. It seems Hope is going out of her way to piss her off, and even tries to make her jealous. Some days, the Mikaelson girl starts calling her pet names again and flirts with her any chance she gets. Other days though, Hope ignores Josie completely, flirts with anyone that's not the brunette and makes sure she's doing it right in front of Josie. 

The Saltzman girl knows she shouldn't let it get to her. There's nothing between her and Hope. They are barely acquaintances. But for some reason, there's still a part of her that wants to know the real Hope, the one she was before being damaged. Maybe it has something to do with the lingering sadness in Hope's eyes, or that beautiful, yet rare, genuine smile. Sometimes, Hope's persona slips and Josie gets a glimpse of the real her. That's what she's holding on to. 

When Josie finally gathers the courage to walk up to Hope and confront her about their back and forth relationship, the worst thing happens.

"Lizzie!" Josie hisses as her eyes go wide. "Did you know she was coming back today?"

"Uh?" The blonde turns to follow her twin's gaze. "Oh shit. I didn't."

On one side of the room, Penelope Park stands. She's carrying a suitcase since she's coming back from a family trip to Europe. She stands tall, her hair falling in waves on her shoulder and her smile is as proud as ever. Josie hates it. She hates everything that makes Penelope seem perfect, when the brunette knows the truth.

Josie's so preoccupied with the sight of her ex that she doesn't pay attention to the other side of the room. Hope walks into the room after coming down the stairs. The scene she stumbles on leaves her with a deep frown on her face. She sees this girl she never saw before. A very beautiful girl with enough confidence to match her own. But then, she also notices Josie. Josie, the girl she's grown to appreciate a lot more than she'd like, is standing there with sadness in her eyes. 

There's a brief conversation between the Saltzman twins and Penelope. When the raven haired witch leaves, it's with a wicked grin playing on her lips. The blonde twin is fuming while the brunette one looks even sadder than she already was. Lizzie takes her sister by the hand and leads her back to their room. On their way to the stairs, they pass by Hope. Josie and the Mikaelson girl make eye contact for a brief second before the brunette avoids Hope's eyes. 

It makes Hope angry. This simple and short conversation seems to have such a big impact on Josie. More impact than Hope managed to have on the brunette, not that she didn't try to make her angry. 

When MG walks into the room, Hope immediately walks up to him. 

"I need information, pretty boy." 

MG gives her a nervous look. "Hey, Hope. How can I help?"

"I need a name." Hope crosses her arms and lifts up her chin. "A girl, she's a little taller than I am. She has short raven hair, and she stands proud. She has some beef with the Saltzman twins."

"Oh, you must be talking about Penelope." MG immediately says.

"I need details, MG." Hope impatiently says.

The boy scratches the back of his head, looking uncomfortable at the idea of spilling the details Hope is asking of him. 

"Details about what?" He carefully asks.

"Her relationship with the Saltzman twins. More specifically, her relationship with Josie."

MG avoids Hope's eyes, but when she takes a threatening step towards him, the boy starts to speak again.

"Penelope and Josie dated last year." He blurts out. "By now, you probably noticed the twins are close. Well, Penelope got tired of being second in Josie's life, so she broke up with Jo just before summer came. It crushed Josie's heart." MG sees how Hope's face is angry and cold now, so he quickly adds something else. "Pen really regrets it now though! She's gonna apologize and she hopes Josie will take her back."

MG's eyes widen when Hope's flash gold. She pushes him out of her way and quickly walks upstairs. She's not even thinking about what she's doing, she's driven by instincts. It's only when she knocks on a door and Josie opens it with tears in her eyes that Hope realises where she went. She went straight to the twins' room. And now Josie's looking at her with those big brown eyes full of tears and Hope doesn't know how to react. She hasn't cared about anyone in so long. She tried so hard not to care about Josie.

Josie's a little surprised to see the tribrid at her door. Her first reaction is to step out of her room, and close the door behind her. For some reason, she doesn't wanna talk to Hope in front of Lizzie. When Josie's eyes go back to Hope, she's surprised to see the Mikaelson girl looks uncomfortable. The brunette crosses her arms, and prepares herself for the conversation that's about to happen.

"Can I help you?" Josie asks, her tone of voice defensive.

"It's good to see you too, cutie."

The tribrid tries her best to smirk, and radiates her usual confidence, but Josie gives her a look that makes Hope understand it came out weak. So, the Mikaelson girl rolls her eyes and sighs.

"Are you okay, Josie?"

"Do I look okay, Hope?"

"That girl can't be worth your tears."

Josie's eyes go big. "How do you know about Penelope?"

"I asked around." Hope hesitates for a second, but then she takes a step closer to Josie. "Breaking your heart was such a stupid thing to do." She lets her fingers dance on the skin of Josie's arm. "You deserve better than that."

Josie takes a step back, her eyes colder than before. "Stop playing games with me."

"I'm not-" Hope manages to say before Josie cuts her off.

"You're not?" Josie takes a step closer, and she takes another one with each sentence. "One day you flirt with me, the next you ignore me and flirt with others. You don't wanna get close to me, but you act like you care when I cry. You're definitely playing a game, and that makes you no better than Penelope."

With one last hard look, Josie turns around to go back to her room. She only manages to turn away before Hope firmly grabs her forearm and forces the brunette to face her again. 

"I'd never break your heart." Hope says quickly. "When a Mikaelson falls in love, it's forever." She lets her finger slip from Josie's forearm to her hand, holding it gently. "That's exactly why I didn't wanna get close to you. You're easy to fall for, and I can't afford it."

Josie's eyes are glued to their joined hands, and even as she speaks they stay there.

"What are you doing here then?" The brunette asks, her voice full of hope. 

Hope chuckles and shakes her head. "You know why I'm here. Don't make me say it."

Their eyes meet for a couple of seconds after that, but then Josie slowly takes her hand back. She keeps facing Hope as she walks backwards to her room.

"You said it yourself earlier : I deserve better."

Hope doesn't move, and she doesn't say anything either. So, Josie turns around and disappears into her room.

* * *

Josie doesn't really like parties at the Old Mill. There's always too many teenagers, too much alcohol and so much drama. She goes for Lizzie, and for her friends. She takes the offered alcohol, but she fakes drinking it. It takes no less than an hour before the majority of the teenagers attending the party are drunk. That's when Josie usually gets bored, or even annoyed. 

Tonight is no different. She's sitting alone around the fire as people have fun around her. She watches the dancing flames and wishes they could keep her warm. The brunette didn't bring a jacket and the night is colder than she thought it would be. When the shivers start to be more frequent, Josie stands up. She knows she has to either leave the party, or at least go take a jacket from her room. 

Finding Lizzie is not hard, and after talking with her twin, Josie decides to go get a jacket and come back to the party. Maybe Lizzie's right, the party just started, who knows how it will end?

As soon as she starts walking down the path to go back to the school, Josie hears footsteps behind her. She quickly turns around, she knows she can never be too careful around drunk supernatural teenagers. The brunette sighs in relief when she sees it's only Penelope. The short haired witch walks to Josie with a smirk playing on her lips. Without waiting for her, Josie turns around and starts walking towards the school again.

"Wow, Jojo. You're not even gonna say 'hi'?" Penelope teases as she jogs to get to the brunette's side. 

Josie sighs. "Hi, Penelope."

"Wasn't that hard, uh, babe?"

Josie stops walking and glares at her ex. "Don't call me that."

The short haired girl fakes a pout. "You used to love it."

"Yeah, well, you broke up with me, remember?"

Penelope hums. "About that, I was hoping-"

Josie still hears Penelope talking, but she doesn't listen to her because her attention is elsewhere. Hope is walking down the path too, except the tribrid is going in the opposite way. Their eyes lock quickly, and the smile that appears on Hope's face immediately gives Josie butterflies. It doesn't last for long though, because as soon as Hope sees Penelope, her eyes get cold and the smile disappears. The tribrid stops when she's close enough to the pair, and she gives Penelope a glare before focusing herself on Josie.

"Hey, Jo, are you leaving the party so early?"

"Can't you see we were in the middle of a conversation?" Penelope quickly tells Hope.

"You were in the middle of a monologue. Josie didn't seem to place a word."

Penelope opens her mouth, but Josie is quicker than her.

"Girls, stop." She sighs and turns back to Hope. "I was only gonna take a jacket from my room. It got cold, you know?"

Hope chuckles. "No, I don't. Perks of being a tribrid, I guess." She shrugs off her own jacket. "Here, you can take mine."

"I'm sure Josie doesn't want to smell like a dog." Penelope says with a smirk.

Hope's eyes flash gold for only a second before Josie's hand grabs her forearm and squeezes, getting her attention instantly. Her hand then goes from the tribrid's forearm to her hand and then to the jacket Hope is still holding.

"I'll take it, thank you."

Hope's face softens and she lets Josie take the jacket. The brunette puts it on quickly under the appreciative eyes of the tribrid.

"Are you really gonna wear that? I don't want my girl to be wearing another girl's jacket!" Penelope angrily says.

It's Josie's turn to glare at the short haired witch. 

"Good thing I'm not your girl anymore, right?"

"I-"

Hope interrupts Penelope quickly. "I think Josie made her point. Now, just leave."

The witch turns to the Mikaelson girl. It's clear to see Penelope is fuming, and Hope can't help but love it. As soon as she sees it, Hope knows this is gonna be entertaining, so she smirks. Then, all of a sudden, Penelope seems to calm down. She puts her hands on her hips and gives a smirk of her own.

"Do you really think I'm gonna leave you alone with Josie? Bodies keep adding up around you."

Hope's whole body freezes before her eyes get hard. She wants to make Penelope regret her words, she wants-

Josie quickly places her hand on Hope's cheek and gently forces the auburn haired girl to look at her. She can see how her ex's words deeply hurt the tribrid, and somehow that helps her understand Hope. The Mikaelson girl is afraid, she blames herself for a lot of things, and now Penelope touched the wrong subject.

"Hope, don't stoop down to her level."

The tribrid finally seems to hear her, and Josie can see her body slightly relax. She almost lets a sigh of relief out, but she doesn't get to do so.

"I guess she only likes it when I'm the one going low."

Penelope barely has time to finish her sentence before Hope is pinning her to a tree. The tribrid's hand is tight around the witch's neck, and it keeps Penelope from properly breathing. Hope's eyes are dark and veins are popping out around them. Josie quickly runs up to them and tries to make Hope back off, but the tribrid is way to strong to be moved. 

"Hope! Hope, please you have to stop." Josie's eyes fill with tears. "Hope, please stop!" The brunette can finally see the tribrid's will waver. "Please, Hope, do it for me."

The veins around Hope's eyes slowly retract, and they turn back to their normal blue. Her hold on Penelope's neck slackens, but she doesn't let go completely. The raven haired witch eyes are full of fear, but Hope doesn't care.

"You're so lucky Josie asked me to stop." Hope growls. "Now, leave. I don't wanna see you again tonight. Did I make myself clear?"

Penelope manages to nod, and Hope finally lets go. The tribrid's eyes stay glued to the witch as she stumbles away and back to the party. When Penelope's out of sight, Hope's attention goes back to Josie. Shame and guilt soon take over the auburn haired girl. 

"Josie…" Hope starts, but she doesn't find the words to say what she wants to say.

"Are you okay, Hope?"

"Me? I, uh… Yeah. I'm okay. Are you?"

It takes a couple of seconds before Josie slowly nods. Then, just as slowly, she walks until she's able to hold Hope in her arms. The brunette is surprised by how easily Hope welcomes the embrace. The Mikaelson girl hugs Josie right back, and her hold is tight. Josie can feel Hope's fingers dig into her through her shirt, but it's not tight enough to hurt. 

They stay that close for a while, neither of them willing to let go just yet. Soon enough, Josie feels the exhaustion of everything that went down catching up to her. She lifts her head from where it was resting on Hope's shoulder, just to get her lips to the tribrid's ear.

"Would you walk me back to my room? I'm really tired now."

Hope buries her face in Josie's neck and mumbles something that the brunette doesn't manage to understand. 

"I didn't catch that, can you repeat?"

"I can carry you to your room if you want." Hope says clearly this time. 

Josie can actually feel herself blushing at Hope's suggestion. 

"Walking while holding your hand could work too." The brunette softly says.

"Sounds good to me."

They pull back slowly, both immediately missing the contact. Hope fixes that loss by taking Josie's hand in her own, just like the Saltzman girl suggested a moment ago. They start walking back to the school after that, and both of them are relieved about the comfortable silence that surrounds them. Josie's thumb is drawing small circles on the back of Hope's hand, making the tribrid's internal storm incredibly calm. 

When they finally stop in front of Josie's door, the girls both linger there. Hope takes a couple of steps back and lets their hands disconnect. She leans against the wall and her eyes lock with Josie's. The brunette mirrors the tribrid's position as she leans against her door, and her heart threatens to jump out of her chest. 

"I'm sorry about earlier, Josie." Hope quietly says. "I hope I didn't scare you beca-"

"Do you care about me?" The brunette interrupts the auburn haired girl.

Hope takes a deep breath. "That's one way to change the subject."

"Just answer the question, Hope."

Hope looks down for a handful of seconds, but when she looks back into Josie's eyes, the brunette can tell she's gonna get the truth.

"Of course, I care."

Their eyes stay locked together for a little less than a minute before Josie pushes herself away from the door of her bedroom. Hope watches as the Saltzman girl walks up to her, as if mesmerized by Josie's movements. The siphon only stops when her hand is leaning against the wall next to the tribrid's head. She leans in until her lips are barely brushing Hope's.

"Can I kiss you, Hope?"

"You never asked before." The tribrid can't stop herself from saying.

"It never meant anything before. This one needs to mean something."

"Then, yes. Please, kiss me."

It's all Josie needs before she softly presses her lips against Hope's. The kiss is sweet, and Hope immediately thinks that she's never been kissed like this before. Josie's kiss is soft and slow, hesitant but purposeful. It makes Hope feel fragile, and precious at the same time. Way too soon, the brunette moves back. She presses their foreheads together until Hope opens her eyes. As soon as she can see the tribrid's blue eyes, Josie takes a step back. She walks backwards under Hope's intense gaze. When she gets to the door, Josie smiles.

"Goodnight, Hope."

The tribrid doesn't manage to answer, her breath taken away by the short kiss they just shared. Josie's smile gets even bigger than before, and she gives an awkward wave as she disappears inside her room, leaving a very stunned Hope behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it even though I published it a day late.


End file.
